BALTIMORE, Maryland — On Saturday (January 29), the University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team won their first conference game of the season as they defeated the Coppin State University Eagles 64-61.
"We talked about how we have shown resilience all year in different spots and being able to bounce back through all adversity," head coach Jason Crafton said. "So for our guys to come on the road, not take care of the ball in spots, but still find a way to win I'm super proud of that."
The game began at a rapid pace. CSU led 14-12 at the first media timeout. After the break, the Eagles hit a free throw that was answered by senior Mayowa Akinsanya's first 3-pointer of the season to tie the score at 15. Coppin State would then build their lead to 21-18 with 10:18 on the clock.
Maryland Eastern Shore (6-9, 1-3 MEAC) would score the next nine points of the game with them all coming from long range. Freshman Chace Davis, junior Dom London and senior Donchevell "Tuka" Nugent each hit a 3-pointer as the team led 27-21 with 6:51 on the clock.
The Hawks would fall behind 28-27 right before the under 4:00 media timeout. They would get the lead back after a shot from long distance from junior Da'Shawn Phillip. A foul occurred after the made basket, so The Shore got the ball right back and London drove and made a three point play to give the squad a six point possession and a 33-28 lead. Eastern Shore would take a 35-33 advantage into the locker room.
In the first half, the Hawks used a strong performance from behind the arc to fuel their offensive attack. The Shore made 12 total field goals with eight of them coming behind the arc.
After the break, the Eagles scored the first five points of the period. The Hawks responded with eight straight points punctuated by a layup from Phillip to put the team up 43-38 with 14:15 on the clock.
Over the next five minutes, Eastern Shore would continue to increase their lead and got it up to 13 after a free throw from senior Nathaniel Pollard, Jr. made the score 55-42. The Eagles hit a 3-pointer to stop the run as the game went under eight minutes.
Following the media timeout, London got a steal and finished it with a strong dunk to make the score 57-45 and bring the Hawks fans in Baltimore to their feet. CSU would then begin to gradually cut into the lead.
The lead went into single digits with under six minutes as the score stood at 59-51. Maryland Eastern Shore went cold from the field as the Eagles defensive pressure intensified. Coppin State got a layup with 3:36 left to make the score 60-57.
Neither team scored for nearly two minutes until CSU got a pair from the line with 1:46 left. London went to the line on the ensuing possession and hit the first shot and missed the second, but Phillip secured the offensive rebound. He dribbled the ball out and cleared out on the right wing and knocked a step back three to put the team up 64-59 with 90 seconds left.
"I think Da'Shawn's three point shot down the stretch was probably the play of the game," Crafton said. "He made a shot like that here two years ago to win the game but we lost it seconds later, so I'm proud of him."
Coppin State knocked down two from the line with 1:13 left to make the score 64-61. It was the last points of the game, but the drama was far from over.
The Hawks turned the ball over with 46 seconds left, CSU missed a 3-pointer and senior Zion Styles got the rebound. He was fouled with 28.9 seconds left. The Eagles were not in the penalty and once they fouled enough to get there, Eastern Shore missed the front end of a 1-and-1 to give the ball back to the home team.
Coppin State responded with a turnover with 17 seconds left. The Hawks would then miss a pair from the line to keep their lead at three. The Eagles raced down the left side of the court, but the ball was knocked out of bounds by The Shore with 4.7 seconds giving CSU one last opportunity. They got a good look from behind the arc, but the shot rimmed out and the Hawks secured the victory.
London finished with a double-double as he had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Nugent had his best game as a Hawk as he finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and five steals. Each was a season high for Nugent.
"We have a goal to win the rebounding battle and Dom played a big part in us winning that (today) because he's so scrappy and throws his body in tough places," Crafton said. "And Tuka did some great things off the ball for us defensively and really helped finish off possessions (on offense)."
Coppin State got double-doubles from both Tyree Corbett and Nendah Tarke. Corbett had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Tarke finished with 10 points and 14 rebounds along with eight assists and six steals.
Maryland Eastern Shore will now take on Morgan State at home on Monday (January 31). The game will tip at 7:30 p.m.
